Impossible Isn't A Limitation
by haveyouseenmyhaggis
Summary: Please let me help him..." Jack begged, "Please?" Owen is the living dead and Jack badly wants to help. Then he realises he knows a man who can help...the Doctor. Will the TimeLord agree to help Jack or is Owen's fate sealed?
1. Realisation

**Title: Defying Impossible**

**Author: Paula545**

**Beta-Reader: ZebraBlonde** **(thank you so much!)**

**Summary: What if Jack realised there _was _something he could do to help Owen after he got trapped as the living dead? Will the Doctor be willing to help? And will Jack's plan work or will Owen be left in a worse state than before because after all, nobody's meant to look into the heart of the TARDIS...**

**Author's Note: The idea for this fic randomly hit me in the car on the way to a furniture shop. It was really weird; one of those drop the book and grab my pen and notebook (which all ways has the honour of travelling in the car with me) and drawing a nice big diagram before explaining it to my family. Not that they really cared but oh well. And thank you very much to the wonderful ZebraBlonde for beta-reading this! **

**Disclaimer: I'll let you guess. Well done! You were right! I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who! How did you guess? Oh...maybe because my name is not in pretty letters on the credits of either show? **

* * *

_If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see, _

_You can find out first hand what it's like to be me._

_-The End, My Chemical Romance_

Frustration was setting in. Jack strongly wished there was something he could do for Owen but he hadn't been able to come up with anything substantial. He'd seen Owen lose control about this over and over again, and it was breaking the Captain's heart, not being able to make things better.

Owen was probably going through the hardest time of his short life, and there was nothing Jack could do to help, and it was tearing him up inside. The young doctor didn't need any of this. Torchwood carried enough burdens as it was, let along being the living dead.

He picked up the piece of paper he'd found on Owen's desk and read it over again, even through the words hurt:

"_My name is Doctor Owen Harper, and this is my life. A life that is full of action and violence, and work, and wonder, secrets, sex, and love, and heartbreak, death – my death. And the death I survived. The death I am now living through. Expect this isn't living. Every day's the same. I get up, get ready for work…same as everyone else, thing is I'm not the same. I get to work and everyone is doing the same old thing; babbling away about aliens and weddings. And I'm not real. Three days ago I died. And they think I'm fine. But they're wrong._

Jack shut his eyes and sighed, leaning back against the wall of his office and trying to get his thoughts straight. Owen was a strong character but there only so much one person could take. He'd seen the young man smile to people but when their backs were turned his face would fall and the fear never left his eyes. Some people committed suicide to try and end their troubles, and he'd seen Owen attempt the very same by jumping in to Cardiff Bay. What was the point in drowning yourself if there was no air in your lungs?

He couldn't quite comprehend what had happened over the last while. Owen had been shot dead…

"_Did you really think I was just going to let you walk away?" Professor Aaron Copley said icily, "You've ruined everything I've worked for." Jack spun around, forgetting about what he was doing in the SUV, and saw the man with a gun in his hands aimed at Martha; Owen had shifted in front of her with his arms outstretched in a protective way._

"_Now let's not be stupid…okay?" Owen said, calmly but firmly – his doctor's voice, "We're both rational men, we're scientists." There was a nervous edge to Owen's voice then as he inched forward slowly. Professor Copley cocked his head slightly and kept the gun aimed at Owen. Jack watched with his heart thudding in his chest; Copley wouldn't shoot Owen, would he?_

"_I know you don't want to shoot her," Owen said as though trying to convince Professor Copley of what he was thinking. Then the gun went off with a bang. The shot still resounded in Jack's head as Owen stumbled and fell backwards._

_The young Doctor's shirt was instantly splattered with blood and his breathing was coming in strangled gasps. The team were in shock and Jack had his gun loaded and aimed at Copley within seconds._

"_You're next," Copley said aiming the gun at Martha. Jack hated how he looked, as though he didn't give a damn that he'd just shot Owen in the chest. Jack glanced around for a moment but then realised he couldn't risk it. Owen was dying and needed help; they couldn't hang around with some arrogant bastard. He pulled the trigger and Copley's head jerked back as the bullet struck him in the forehead. __  
__There was an immediate clamour to get to Owen. _

"_Can you hear me Owen?" Martha said urgently, taking Owen's lolling head in her hands._

"_You've got to help him!" Tosh pleaded. _

"_Owen? Stay with me! Owen, Owen, look at me!" Jack begged. Owen did as he was told with a terrified look in his eyes. There was a trickle of blood trailing from the side of his mouth, "Look at me. Owen, look right at me." Jack knew he was babbling but he had to keep Owen alive. He _had _to, "Stay with me Owen, stay with me. Stay with me buddy, come on, come on." _

"_Owen speak to me!" Martha begged. Owen didn't. She took his pulse while Jack heard crashing sounds in his ears. He knew what Martha was going to say next but hearing it still tore him apart. _

"_He's dead."_

"_Owen?" Jack breathed desperately anyway._

Jack shuddered. He'd been so certain he'd lost Owen forever; so certain that he'd lost one of his closest friends and that he'd never be able to hear him laugh or joke again. He wouldn't even be able to comfort him when he was upset anymore. But then again…he didn't think he'd hear Owen laugh or joke again anyway now.

What could he do? It was Owen's words later that had torn at his heart.

_"You know you get to live forever. I get to die forever."_

There had to be something he could do! Jack thumped his fist of the wall beside him and wondered how it had all come to this. One of the disadvantages of living forever was that he lost people over and over again. He felt so helpless. Sometimes he wished he hadn't been brought back from the dead…

Now he thought about it…he'd been brought back from the dead. What if he could do the same for Owen? What if…what if he could bring Owen back from the dead for a second time? Jack bit his lip as he thought. Could he? What if it went wrong? But it had to be worth a try.

He walked slowly over to the phone and picked up the receiver. He dialled the number he wanted and waited as it rang.

"Hello?"

"Martha."

"Jack?" said Martha's voice in surprise, "I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon! Is everything okay? How's Owen?"

"That's why I'm calling. I need the Doctor's number. You have it, right?"

"Yes."

"I need his help."

* * *


	2. Talking To Owen

* * *

Jack looked at the number that was now jotted down on a small scrap of paper. He bit his lip slightly and ran over what he was going to say in his head. He was going to have to lie to the Doctor; the man wouldn't come if he knew Jack wanted to open the heart of the TARDIS.

The Captain picked up the phone again and dialled the number Martha had given to him. The phone rang for a moment before a familiar voice came onto the line.

"Hello?" the Doctor said suspiciously; he hadn't been expecting the phone to ring.

"Doctor," Jack said quietly. A small smile touched the Captain's face as he heard the Doctor's voice; it was a voice he had always respected and loved.

"Jack!" the Doctor exclaimed in surprise. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Kinda…yeah," Jack began. He tried to sound upset and distressed; which wasn't particularly hard judging by recent events.

"Jack, what is it?" the Doctor asked urgently. He assumed that Jack hadn't phoned just for the chat.

"Just…just come…please? I need you!"

Meanwhile, Owen Harper wandered aimlessly around his flat. He couldn't think of anything to do. It was strange; he was dead yet he could still feel scared, he could still feel worried and he could still feel confused. He supposed, in some way, that his emotions kept him slightly more human.

He felt the depression eating away at him but he fought to keep it at bay. Something Ianto had said had given him courage and the determination to keep on fighting, even though it was hurting and tearing him apart. He couldn't let this beat him.

_Jack and Martha looked over at him as he scowled and despaired of the coffee machine. It was just small things like that that made him want to scream and throw things around. _

"_You okay?" Ianto asked kindly. It was a simple gesture of comfort and he was, metaphorically, offering Owen a shoulder to cry on. _

"_What d'you think?" Owen snarled. He didn't want sympathy. "Bet you're loving this, aren't you? It's like you've finally won." Ianto didn't meet Owen's gaze and the young doctor knew he was being cruel and spiteful but he really didn't care._

"_I didn't realise we were in competition," Ianto said softly. _

"_Oh come on. Even Tosh had more of a life than you used to and now you're always out on missions. You're shagging Jack and I'm stuck here making coffee," Owen said. There was a faint tremble in his voice that he didn't like. _

"_It's not like that…me and Jack," Ianto said quickly turning to the coffee machine and putting his back to Owen._

"_Yeah, yeah, you and Jack," Owen said mockingly, "Gwen's getting married, Martha's got her bloke. Even Tosh had Tommy! This is really shit!" he was getting desperate now. He leaned back against the stair railings and shifted his weight slightly from foot to foot, looking agitated. Ianto folded up a dishtowel as he spoke; slowly and thinking things through. _

"_We've all gone through shit," the Welshman said quietly. "I've seen you dissect alien corpses…I've seen you save so many lives. You really gonna let this beat you?"_

The young doctor sighed and checked his watch. Seven A.M. He might as well turn up at the Hub early. Maybe there was something he could do to kill time.

There wasn't much need of a morning routine anymore; there was no point eating breakfast because he couldn't digest any of it. There was no point in shaving because there was nothing to shave. Owen quickly brushed his teeth and washed just because he wanted to do something normal and it was the only thing he particularly needed to do.

He wandered miserably out of the flat and locked the door. It was quiet outside in the street. Occasionally a car sped past on the way to some unknown destination. Owen walked slowly towards his car and sat in the driver's seat. He flicked on the radio and just listened for a moment.

"_If everyone cared and nobody cried, if everyone loved and nobody lied, if everyone shared and swallowed their pride, would we see the day where nobody died?"_ came a song on the radio. Owen changed the station.

"_It's the fear of the dark that's growing inside of me-,"_ came the haunting chorus of some song by _Within Temptation. _Owen snarled and changed the station again. Why was the human race such vultures preying on songs about misery? Because they're sad, sick bastards that cling to the light and hide from the dark. That's why.

"And one man died from a gunshot wound in the city centre. A family member only said 'May their soul rest in peace,'" said the radio presenter. Owen thumped his fist off the steering wheel in frustration and accidentally set of the horn. He scowled; why should everyone else sleep when he couldn't, he thought bitterly? He turned the radio off moodily and started up the engine.

Just as he was starting along the road, a man appeared at a window, clearly pissed off. He was a middle-aged man with sleep-tousled hair and a thick moustache. He made a rude, one-fingered salute at Owen. The doctor returned the gesture and sped away along the street.

* * *

Jack had, when asked for the date and time, given the Doctor a time a few hours later. He wanted to speak to Owen first; after all, it was Owen's life he was handling.

Just then, Owen himself stormed into the Hub looking tetchy and irritable. He threw himself into the chair at his desk.

"Morning Owen," Jack said coming out of his office.

"Mmm," Owen mumbled. Jack sighed and pulled the chair from Toshiko's desk and sat down beside his colleague.

"Wanna talk?" Jack asked sincerely as Owen scrambled around for something, anything, to do to distract himself.

"What is there to say?" Owen snapped turning to look at Jack. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, "That I'm scared? Because, bloody hell Jack, if that's what you want me to say – I'm fucking terrified! I dunno what to do anymore and I'm still trapped in this body! I mean, I should be dead Jack, and I am, BUT I'M STILL STUCK IN THIS WORLD FOREVER!" Owen was beginning to look desperate. It as clear he was losing control, "But see, thing is, I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I've seen what's coming and…and I HATE IT!"

Jack didn't intrude on Owen's outburst but just listened. In some ways that was all Owen really wanted. He just needed to know that someone was there who cared.

"I've seen it Jack…there's nothing! There's just darkness. How can I accept that Jack? How?" Owen asked helplessly. Jack put his arm around the younger man and held him close. Owen struggled against him for a moment but soon seemed to give up and allow himself that small comfort.

"This is crap Jack…" he mumbled dejectedly, "This is total crap…"

"I…I think I might have a way to help…" Jack said quietly. Owen looked up at Jack with a new hope that burned the Captain's heart. What if his idea didn't work? What would that do to Owen?"

"You do?" Owen asked desperately.

"Yeah…I'm just guessing though. But I've made a…a doctor's appointment for later…so we'll see what comes of that," Jack said cautiously.

"You did what?" Owen asked incredulously.

"I told you. I know a man who might be able to help."

"What's gonna happen?" Owen asked nervously biting his lip.

"I'll be able to answer that better when he gets here," Jack said with a small, comforting smile.

"Who?"

"The Doctor."


	3. This Is Owen

Jack had gathered his team into the Board Room later and they were all sitting around the table. Owen was struggling to try and look normal; his mind was reeling with the possibility of getting help. Who was this Doctor that Jack had told him about? It didn't make sense to him.

Gwen, Ianto and Tosh kept glancing at Owen every now and again having noticed his agitation. The young doctor didn't like it when they looked at him with sympathy because he didn't need it. He didn't want their pity; he just wanted to be back to normal again.

"Right," said Jack with a small clap of his hands to get the team's attention, "We've got a visitor coming today."

"Who?" Ianto asked curiously.

"An old friend of mine," Jack grinned. There was a reminiscing sparkle in the Captain's eyes as he spoke of this 'old friend.' Ianto felt his heart sink. Maybe it was the man that Jack had dropped anything and ran off for…maybe it was that bastard.

"The friend that you…" Ianto tailed off giving Jack a meaningful look.

"The one I went away with for a while. Yes."

"You aren't going to…?" Gwen asked looking anxious but trying to sound passive.

"No. I'm not going," Jack said firmly. "His visit is to help Owen."

"So…your friend must be some miracle worker then," Owen said not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Pretty much, yes," Jack said with a small smile.

"What exactly is he going to do?" Owen asked quietly.

"He's got this machine…that travels in space and time," Jack explained slowly. He paused for a minute to let that information sink in to the teams minds.

"A time and space machine?" Ianto breathed looking amazed.

"Yes, he calls it the TARDIS – Time And Relative Dimension In Space," Jack nodded, "And…and long before I met you lot I travelled with him for a bit. It was with him that…that I died my first death."

"He killed you?"

"No. It was…it was an alien," Jack said evasively. He didn't particularly want to talk about the Daleks.

"And?"

"And I survived. Rose, the Doctor's companion…she brought me back to life."

"So she's the one I need to sue for your existence then?" Owen joked with a small smile. Jack smiled back.

"Yeah…but Rose, she opened the heart of the TARDIS…and brought me back. And that's what I want to do for Owen," Jack said conclusively.

"Make him like you?" Gwen asked, "Would that mean Owen couldn't die either…?"

"I don't know," Jack admitted, "It could make him immortal…it could make him mortal."

"It could destroy me…" Owen said looking at Jack with a slightly fearful expression.

"Owen…if you don't want to go through with this I'll understand," Jack said leaning forward in his chair slightly.

"Jack…I…I," Owen stuttered with a muddled expression.

"Gwen, Ianto, Tosh? Go…do some paper work or something. I need to speak to Owen. But the Doctor should be here in about a half an hour," Jack said to the others. They nodded understandingly and, with a comforting glance towards Owen, they left.

Jack stood up and walked round to where Owen was sitting. He sat down on the table in front of his colleague and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be there for you all the way," Jack said quietly.

"What…what if it goes wrong?" Owen asked, struggling to find the words.

"I can't say I know," Jack said, "But if it goes well, you'll have a better quality of life. I can promise you that much."

"I'll do it," Owen said decisively. He was terrified, he had to admit that, but he had to try this…he didn't want to be trapped like this forever.

"Good man," Jack said with a smile.

"If this doesn't work…I'm gonna fucking kill you, Harkness," Owen said with a nervous laugh; it was just a small attempt to lighten the atmosphere and hide his own terror.

* * *

The TARDIS materialised inside the Hub just outside Jack's office. The Captain grinned as he heard the familiar whooshing noise and hurried to greet the Doctor with a hug as the Timelord appeared out of the blue box.

"Doctor," he said happily.

"Jack?" the Doctor said, looking confused. He'd been clearly expecting horror and destruction.

"Thanks for coming," Jack said releasing the Doctor from his grip. The other man looked at Jack suspiciously.

"What's going on?" he demanded. Jack looked shifty. The rest of the team had gathered around looking curious.

"Erm, you see, the thing is…one of my employees is dead," Jack said, choosing his words carefully.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said looking around the team apologetically.

"Yeah, so am I," Owen said bitterly. The Doctor looked lost for words.

"This is Owen," Jack said pointing to the young man.

"Right," the Doctor said nodding. He was struggling to see where this conversation was heading.

"Owen's dead," Jack said.

"Oh."


	4. Preperations

"YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?" the Doctor yelled at Jack across his desk. The Captain had led Owen and the Doctor into his office to explain his plan. So far, the Doctor hadn't taken it well.

"Please? It might be Owen's only chance!" Jack begged desperately. Owen stood by his Captain looking anxious.

"Jack, I will _not _open the heart of the TARDIS again!" the Doctor said firmly, "I'm sorry Jack, but Rose shouldn't have done it the first time and –"

"And things happened Doctor! Please, JUST LOOK AT HIM!" Jack said, waving a hand in Owen's direction. Owen flinched slightly under the Doctor's heated gaze.

"What, Jack?" the Doctor asked. To the eye, there was nothing overly unusual about Owen.

"This isn't the Owen I used to know!" Jack said urgently thumping a fist down on the desk. "It's not the man I employed!"

"Jack, I –" the Doctor made to protest again.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE LISTEN TO HIM!" Owen yelled, losing his temper suddenly, "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING! THIS ISN'T LIVING! THIS IS WORSE THAN BEING FUCKING PROPERLY DEAD! I CAN'T EAT! I CAN'T SLEEP! I CAN'T DO _ANYTHING_! WHY WON'T YOU HELP ME?"

"Because, Owen, IT COULD KILL YOU!" the Doctor yelled thoughtlessly.

"I'M ALREADY DEAD!" Owen snarled. "CAN'T GET MUCH WORSE!

"It turned the Daleks to dust," the Doctor said solemnly. "If it goes wrong, the same could happen to you. Nobody should have the power to do that. Sorry. I'm so sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"Doctor…Rose brought me back. Let me do the same for Owen. If it makes him like me, it'd be a better life than what he has now," Jack pleaded.

"It'll kill whoever looking into the heart. It was killing Rose so I regenerated to save her. Owen can still – " the Doctor said, waving an arm to try and emphasise his point.

"I can't do anything," Owen said dejectedly. "If I get hurt I can't heal. Any wound and I won't heal." The young man leaned back against the wall looking hopeless. He could tell that this wasn't going to work.

"I can do it, Doctor. I could do it and then I'd just come back!" Jack insisted. He wasn't about to let this drop.

"I can't do that," the Doctor said, apparently torn by a wish to help and the knowledge that he shouldn't. Jack bit his lip.

"I really didn't want it to have to come to this," Jack said walking over to the Doctor, "Owen really needs help and if you're not prepared to help, I'll do it myself."

"What?" the Doctor said, looking confused. Jack quietly drew the stun gun out of his coat and pressed it to the Doctor's forehead.

"JACK!" was all the Doctor had time to say before he shuddered violently while Jack held him tight.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, meaning it. He laid his unconscious friend on the ground before rushing back to grab Owen's arm. He dragged him forwards and out to the TARDIS. He doubled back and rummaged in the Doctor's pockets after remembering something. He pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver and the TARDIS key.

"Right Owen, I dunno how this is going to feel to you, being conscious and all but the team's gonna be here for you," Jack said appearing back beside the younger man.

"What…what about you?" Owen asked quietly.

"Well, I'm gonna die," Jack said with a sad smile. "But I'll be back."

"Promise?" Owen asked, suddenly feeling terrified. He knew how childish he sounded but he didn't really care.

"I promise," Jack said with a wink. "No getting rid of me." Owen felt an awkward arm around his shoulder and he looked around to find Toshiko standing beside him with a comforting smile.

"It'll be okay," she said reassuringly. Owen nodded mutely as Jack unlocked the blue box before them. Tosh gasped as she saw what was inside.

"That…that's amazing!" she breathed. Owen stared. It just wasn't possible to have a room so huge in a box so small; it didn't make sense.

"Wow…" he breathed as Jack looked around with a smile.

"Hell, I love this place," he said happily. Owen could see at once that the Captain felt at home here. Jack knelt down and looked at the consol in the centre while Owen and Tosh hovered in the doorway.

"There has to be a way to open this up…" he said more to himself than to anyone else. He looked down at the sonic device in his hands and flicked through the settings, "I wonder…"

"What?" Tosh asked, curiously.

"Maybe this opens her up," Jack wondered aloud. "Worth a shot, I guess. You ready Owen?"

"I guess," Owen said, biting his lip.

"You might want to sit down," Jack said. Owen walked forward hesitantly and sat down in one of the seats by the consol still marvelling at the bizarreness of it all. Tosh took a seat next to him and took his hand. Owen squeezed it gratefully.

"Right…" Jack said. "GWEN! IANTO!" He wanted his whole team here in case something went wrong. It was only moments before the other two Torchwood members appeared in the door.

"Bloody hell…" Gwen said, taking a step back for a moment. Ianto nodded in agreement.

"I want you here. Anything happens to Owen, it's up to you," Jack explained. "Ianto, med kit. Now. We might need it."

"Okay," Ianto said, hurrying off to follow the Captain's orders.

"Now…this is gonna kill me, but don't think about me. Focus on Owen. At all times," Jack urged. "I'm gonna bring him back from the dead for a second time!"


	5. Feeling Life And Death

**Here's the next chapter! **

**And for anyone who's reading my other story, "Steps Into The Unknown", I'm very sorry, there may be a slight delay before the next chapter. My computer deleted it of the face of the Earth. Sorry about that.**

* * *

"Actually…you should all stay out of here," Jack said thoughtfully as he turned various dials on the Sonic Screwdriver. "You can't see what's about to happen. It'd kill you."

"Dead already," Owen grumbled.

"Out," Jack insisted. Ianto was first to get to his feet. He picked up the newly acquired medical kit and walked out of the TARDIS. Tosh and Gwen were close to follow; Owen hesitated for a moment.

"You sure about this Jack?" he asked quietly. Jack looked up at him and saw the raw apprehension in his eyes.

"Yeah. It's gotta be worth a shot, right?" Jack said with a comforting smile. Owen nodded.

"I guess so," Owen agreed and then wandered out of the TARDIS after the rest of the team. He sat down heavily at his desk and buried his head in his hands. He felt restless. He was fidgeting anxiously with the cuff of his shirt and tapping his foot agitatedly. Tosh placed an awkward but comforting hand on his arm and he smiled weakly.

They could all hear Jack talking in the TARDIS. At first they thought he was talking either to them or himself.

"Come on! Please…I need you to do this for me," he was saying.

"Is he…" Gwen began but her voice tailed off.

"I think…I think that machine is alive," Ianto mused quietly. There had just been something about the vein like columns around the consol and the mysterious glowing of the central consol that had made him think that.

"Yeah," Tosh nodded. "I got that impression too."

"YES!" Jack cried triumphantly from inside the TARDIS, "Gotcha!" Suddenly there was a dazzling white light emitting from the blue box and the team gasped. They all stared in amazement.

Owen's mind was reeling. He couldn't think logically anymore. He knew it wouldn't help to be having these last minute panics, but he couldn't help it. Running a hand agitatedly through his hair, he tried to stay calm and level headed.

It was only a matter of moments before Jack appeared in the doorway of the TARDIS.

"Bloody hell," Owen breathed as their eyes became adjusted to seeing the figure surrounded by such blinding light.

There was a surreal golden sparkle in the Captain's eyes. His hair ruffled slightly as though moved by a gentle breeze. The Sonic Screwdriver was still held loosely in his right hand.

"Jack?" Gwen probed nervously taking a step towards her boss.

"I can see everything," Jack said in a voice that wasn't quite his own, "I can feel every existence. I can see every atom…"

"Jack? Can you hear us?" Ianto asked. He wasn't quite sure if Jack's mind was in the same place as his body.

"I hear everything," Jack said. He was looking around at them and they felt as though they were being x-rayed.

"Owen…" Jack breathed.

"What?" Owen asked, bracing himself.

"I can feel life…I can feel death…" Jack said quietly.

"Oh…" was all Owen came up with as a response.

"I can bring life to the dead!" Jack breathed, "I can bring death to the living…"

"Jack! Jack, be careful!" Gwen begged. The way he was speaking didn't sound like the Jack she knew. A smile came to Jack's face then.

"I can do anything…" he gasped. He looked directly at Owen, "I can bring you life!"

Owen cried out as the same pain he'd felt as he'd been shot exploded in his body. He clutched at his chest as he felt the searing, burning feeling tearing though him. He couldn't think through the pain and everything else going on around him seemed to be in a different world. He was vaguely aware of Tosh putting an arm awkwardly around him and holding him as he screamed, even though there were tears trickling their way down her face.

Ianto was rummaging around in the medical kit for something – painkillers? Owen didn't know.

He found himself gasping to catch his breath and fend off the pain. Breath? He was dead! But he was breathing! Relief washed over him and he laughed softly despite the pain shattering his body.

"I bring _so _much life!" Jack said softly, "I control all of creation…"

Owen struggled desperately to remain conscious but he was losing grip quickly. There wasn't anything he could do to fight it.

"I can bring _so _much life," Jack breathed again. Ianto looked up at the Captain and saw he looked slightly frightened.

"Jack? Jack, you can stop now – we've got him back," Ianto urged.

"He won't be able to stop," came a new voice. "No human can."

The team turned around and saw the Doctor standing grimly in the doorway of Jack's office.

"What d'you mean?" Ianto asked nervously.

"The heart of the TARDIS has hold on him now. It's too strong for anyone to control for very long," the Doctor said kneeling down beside Owen. He grabbed a stethoscope from the medical kit and pressed it to Owen's chest.

"He's…" the Doctor muttered. "He's been shot and that wound hasn't healed. His body's not had the chance to heal and-."

"I'm gonna die…I'm gonna…fucking…die," Owen stuttered frantically.

"Is he?" Gwen asked the Doctor, her eyes wide with fear. The Doctor bit his lip.

"I don't know," he admitted. Suddenly, Jack screamed in pain behind them and collapsed against the TARDIS.

"Jack!" Ianto exclaimed running to his Captain's side. Jack was on the ground now, adding his own terrified screams to Owen's. He was still giving off the strange golden light but Ianto thought it looked slightly sinister now.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" the Doctor yelled in warning, "You could get yourself killed too!"

"But –"

"Get away from him," the Doctor snarled, and the look in the Timelord's eyes was not one that Ianto wanted to mess with. He nodded and walked back over to where Owen was lying on the ground struggling to breathe and stay alive.

"Please Owen...not again..." Tosh pleaded, tears flowing think and fast now. The Doctor was going about various procedures to try and save Owen but he knew there wasn't much he could do but he was going to try.

Owen felt his mind drifting into the darkness. It was oddly welcoming to be surrounded by the dark when he was in so much pain but the memories of what death was like kept coming back and forcing him to keep fighting. He _had _to keep fighting...he _had _to live...they'd done too much for him to give up now.


	6. Maybe There Is A Heaven

Owen felt his mind drifting again and it was becoming harder and harder to pull himself back out of the darkness. He couldn't even open his eyes because everything seemed far too bright to bear.

What was most frustrating was the fact that he was a doctor and he spent his life saving other people's lives, both in A&E and then in Torchwood. Yet, now when it was him that was dying there was nothing he could do to help himself.

He didn't even feel the Doctor injecting him with a shot of something-or-other and going about various medical processes. After a few agonising moments he stopped feeling anything. Everything went dark…there was just the blackness and the nothingness. He'd lost.

"Owen?" Gwen begged clinging to Owen's hand as though holding on would bring him back. "NO! OWEN! PLEASE!"

"Owen…" Tosh whispered. "Owen…no." Both girls felt the ache of loss that they'd felt when Owen had died the first time. They couldn't believe it had happened and they couldn't even begin to comprehend what had happened. Everything had stopped making sense.

Ianto said nothing. He stood by the wall and watched what was going on without really seeing it. Heartfelt, unshed tears shone in his eyes.

The Doctor took a step back to give the others some room to acknowledge Owen's death, "I'm sorry," he said gently, "I'm so sorry."

Jack was sobbing in anguish for a very different reason. He wasn't even aware Owen had died. The Captain was clutching his head and begging, "Make it stop…make it go away…"

"Can't we help him?" Ianto burst out with a tremble in his voice as he covered his ears with his hands in a desperate attempt not to hear Jack's cries of pain…trying not to hear Gwen's distressed sobs…trying not to hear Tosh repeating Owen's name and over.

"There's…there's nothing we can do," the Doctor said sadly. They could all see how much it hurt him to say that sentence. "I told him not to do this but he didn't listen. Nobody's meant to look into the heart of the TARDIS. It'll kill him in the end but –,"

"For fuck's sake!" Ianto yelled, suddenly completely losing control. "It's hurting him! Can't we do _something?_!"

"I…I can't do anything. If we kill him there's a chance –," the Doctor began but Ianto wasn't listening. He'd started rummaging in the medical kit for anything to help the pain Jack was feeling.

"There isn't anything you can do!" the Doctor said pulling Ianto away from the medical kit. Ianto snarled and punched the other man in the face. The Doctor stumbled backwards as his world spun around him. "Look!" he said. "I wish there was something I could do because I hate seeing him like this –,"

"But if you cared enough you wouldn't have let him do this!" Gwen shouted in a moment of white-hot, anguished fury. "We lost Owen anyway, and who says this won't kill Jack permanently?" She was on her feet now and standing right in front of the Doctor. Her face was flushed with emotion and her fists were clenched by her side. She didn't care if she was being irrational. She just wanted to shout.

"I can't –," the Doctor began.

"You can't do _anything _can you?" Gwen yelled, clearly fighting the urge to smack him just as Ianto had. There was a bruise forming around the Doctor's eye already.

"Not where the heart of the TARDIS is concerned!" the Doctor said. He hated the feeling of uselessness that was surging through his body. He just wished they could understand. "Last time Rose used it, I absorbed it from her. It killed me and I had to regenerate. I can't do that again…the chances are Jack will live anyway."

There was silence from everyone in the room who wasn't being possessed by the heart of the TARDIS. Suddenly there was a terrified yell and everyone looked at Owen. The young Torchwood doctor was staring around at them, wide-eyed and terrified.

"Oh…for…fuck's…sake," he gasped, trying to regain his breath. Tosh still held him close to her and was now looking at her colleague in amazement and relief. "Not again…you can't put me through this…_again_!"

"We didn't do anything!" Tosh said shock etched all over her face. "But…but you…"

"I died…I'm dead," Owen whispered shutting his eyes and trying to work this out in his head. "And…and I'm…back? Again…?"

"I…" Gwen began, completely lost for words.

"I'm not dead? Please…tell me I'm in heaven or something…maybe…maybe there is a heaven?"

"Owen, you're not in heaven –,"

"Shit," Owen retorted. "You're telling me…I'm back? Torchwood? Cardiff? I'm back?"

"Yeah –,"

"But…_no_!" Owen whispered as he struggled away from Tosh's grip. He dragged himself over to the medical kit and grabbed the stethoscope and pressed it to his own chest. He listened. "Bloody hell…"

"You're…you're alive?" Gwen asked gently. Owen pulled his shirt off and looked at the place he'd been shot. It was gone. There was no evidence he'd ever been shot. He looked at his bandaged hand and tore off the bandage. There wasn't a wound anymore. The stitches were still there but any trace of injury was gone.

"I…I…" Owen stuttered, words failing him completely. "How can I be alive?" Nobody offered any answer.

"So cold…" Jack sobbed to himself. "So alone…"

"Jack, you aren't alone!" We're all here!" Ianto said kneeling down beside his Captain. He made to take Jack in his arms and the Doctor made a feeble noise of protest. This time, however, Ianto Jones ignored the Doctor's orders and put his arms around the man he cared so much about.

Jack seemed grateful of the gesture and clung to Ianto and sobbed into his shoulder. Ianto ran a hand through the older man's hair trying to comfort him while keeping his other arm around the Captain's waist.

Ianto knew that if Jack had ever needed him, it was then.


	7. So Cold

**Right, seeing as I'm back to school updates might be slower until I get back to the routine. As I said in my other story, it's hard coming to terms with my brain melting for reasons other than watching Janto or Owen related videos on Youtube. I mean, seriously, I was stressing over Maths work rather than pondering plotlines!! **

**And I'm trying to improve my descirbing skills in my writing. Tell me how I got on. :) I'll have a new series up soon to try and improve describing. Watch this space.. or more, my profile, and it'll be up soon!**

* * *

Jack's pain seemed never ending and Ianto never left his side. He held the Captain in his arms and tried to do what he could to make sure his lover knew he was there for him even though Jack seemed beyond reach.

"Why is it so dark?" Jack mumbled, "So alone..."

"I'm here," Ianto whispered, "I've got you." It tore at the young man's heart to see the man he cared so much for in this degree of pain and fear.

"Look, what can I do?" Owen asked, struggling to his feet with a great deal of support from Toshiko. His body ached in protest but Jack had saved him from being dead for all eternity and now it was his turn to repay the favour.

"Apparently there's nothing we can do," Gwen said bitterly glaring at the Doctor. Owen looked at him curiously.

"Why?" he asked.

"No medicine could help him! Nothing you've got here would be able to help him!" the Doctor tried desperately to explain, "And it's the heart-."

"The heart of the TARDIS, so you've said" Gwen snapped. The whole situation was beginning to get to her. She hated it when Jack lost control like this. He was always so solid in his resolve and he put on a brave front almost constantly which made it all the worse when he did lose his cool.

"How long is it gonna take to kill him?" Owen wanted to know as he watched the Captain trembling and clinging helplessly to Ianto without really knowing it was Ianto he was clinging to.

"I...I don't know," the Doctor admitted, "It didn't take long to kill me...but because it's Jack."

"What does that mean then? "Because it's Jack"?" Owen demanded viciously with an impatient glint in his dark eyes.

"The fact that Jack can't die and-," The Doctor began but suddenly he fell silent for a few seconds looking horrified, "Oh no..." He sighed, looking as though something inconvenient had happened.

"What?" Gwen, Owen and Tosh asked in unison.

"It was the heart of the TARDIS that brought Jack back for the first time. This means...if I'm right, that the TARDIS is trying to kill something it helped create."

"Bloody hell," Owen said letting out a low breath, "What would it be to have a simple day at work for once?"

"This is...it's a bit of a paradox, then?" Tosh asked the Doctor.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded, evidently glad to be having a conversation that didn't involve people hitting him, "It's a bit like you trying to cut off your own thumb." Everyone stared at him. The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"So you're saying Jack is like the thumb of the TARDIS?" Owen asked incredulously.

"Kinda. But there's a bit more to it than that. It's like a connection between Jack and the TARDIS which means the TARDIS has to destroy a very small part of itself in order to kill Jack. It has to destroy a link. Like when you delete a file from a computer. The computer has to wipe every link to that file. That's what the TARDIS is trying to do for Jack. So..._that _means that Jack could be alive until..." the Doctor tailed off after a long, garbled explanation that left the team looking at him in a mixture of disbelief and impression.

"Until something else kills him first?" Owen asked.

"Or until the TARDIS works out the paradox that is Captain Jack Harkness," the Doctor nodded. There was an awkward silence.

"So our best bet would be to kill him first before something goes seriously wrong?" Owen said slowly, choosing his words carefully. He watched his boss for a moment, hating how much pain he was in. Jack had done this for him... Jack had so many reasons why he could hate Owen but he didn't. He was still prepared to risk everything for him. Why? Owen didn't know but he had to help Jack - even if it did just mean ending the pain quicker.

The young Torchwood doctor turned and rain from the room. He hurried over to his desk and pulled open a drawer in his desk and scrambled around frantically. Finally he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the small, black pistol and flicked off the safety catch.

"Owen..." Gwen breathed as Owen ran back into the room and skidded to a halt beside her.

"We haven't got much of a choice Gwen," Owen said bluntly, "Ianto? Move..."

Ianto looked up from Jack at his colleague and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the gun in Owen's grip. He didn't protest but he felt something lurch in the pit of his stomach. What if this didn't work? However, he understood it was something that had to be done and he struggled to his feet and tried to detach Jack from him.

Jack whimpered slightly and tried to cling to Ianto's hand. It was out of character and it scared the young Welshman. He hated seeing the man he loved like this. With a small amount of force, he managed to pry Jack off him and back away while the Captain fell back against the blue outer wall of the TARDIS behind him.

Owen stepped forward and raised his weapon. A small frown of concentration appeared on his face as it always did when he was concentrating. He bit his bottom lip gently and focused on Jack. They all kept their distance as they didn't know what was going to happen when the bullet hit Jack. He breathed deeply and vaguely noted the fact that he _could _breathe. His heart was pounding violently in his chest and he tried to ignore it and keep calm. Trying to keep his arm steady, he fired the bullet.

In a second it was over. The bullet had whistled through the air and struck Jack square in the chest.


	8. Don't Go

**I ma so sorry about how long it took to update, I've been so busy it's unbelievable! I mean, I've been back to school just two weeks and I've already had loads of homework and am meant to be revising for my Standard Grades already. Hell life can be depressing. Luckily, I have Torchwood to vent my frustrations into. Sorry Torchwood team! **

* * *

As soon as the bullet struck Jack, Ianto was back by his side. He took his Captain in his arms and held him close. The young Welshman's face was flushed with emotion and there were tears in his eyes. Watching Jack die tore him apart but he forced himself to stay strong. Jack was shuddering and gasping for breath. Pain was written all over his expression and Ianto wanted nothing more than to make Jack better.

The surreal golden glow was dimming rapidly in around Jack. It was a strange sight and none of the team had any words to describe what it was they were seeing. It was as though they were watching a dying light bulb; the light faded and then intensified as Jack struggled with his agony.

Suddenly, brilliant golden clouds of particles seemed to be pouring out of Jack's body. Ianto's expression was one of great confusion and terror. Owen's gun dropped out of his hand onto the floor and he took a step back. Gwen gasped and her eyes widened in surprise. Tosh's hands were cupped around her mouth. The Doctor was looking at anybody. He kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Jack...?" Ianto whispered as Jack cried out desperately. Then, without warning, the golden light in his eyes was gone completely and Ianto had the impression that Jack was _really_seeing things again. There was still a tremendous amount of pain and fear in his eyes and Ianto didn't like it. It wasn't like Jack. Jack was usually so strong...so brave.

"Ianto...?" Jack whispered weakly. His grip was slackening on Ianto's hand but he didn't let go. He could _never _let go of Ianto Jones.

"I..." Ianto began.

"God, I'm scared Ianto..." Jack said quietly. Each word was a struggle for the Captain. He was finding it an effort to even breath. There was blood pouring from his chest, staining his shirt crimson.

"Can we help you?" Ianto asked, "Is there anything-."

"No, Ianto...no," Jack insisted, "It's...it's still in...in my head... It won't let me go...go until I...until I die..."

"But you'll come back?" Ianto whispered, voicing his fear aloud and suddenly it became much more real. Jack didn't answer.

"I...I dunno," Jack admitted, "I...Ianto...I'm... Ianto I don't... know what to do!" Jack was in tears now. Jack's reaction was so out of character that it scared them all. His pain tore at all of them. Every pair of eyes in the room were glistening.

"Jack, you'll come back!" Ianto said firmly. Jack _had _to come back. Jack wouldn't leave him...

"I...I don't... know. I... Ianto.. what...I don't...I don't want...to die..." Jack sobbed desperately, "I thought... I thought it'd...it'd be okay...but..."

"Ssh..." Ianto soothed, rocking Jack gently in his arms and trying to fight his own terror so he could help Jack.

"I...I don't want to..." Jack mumbled. His eyelids were drooping and his breathing was shallow now, "I can't... Ianto..."

"I'm here Jack. I'm always here," Ianto said firmly, squeezing Jack's hand.

"Don't go..." Jack whispered, "Don't..."

"I won't," Ianto promised.

"Don't..."

"I'm not."

"Please..."

"I'm not going..." Ianto said, his voice trembling.

"Thank...you..." Jack muttered. He was losing his hold on life quickly. He couldn't hold on for much longer. He couldn't keep struggling any more... Death was beside him now and he couldn't run away anymore. He was almost certain the TARDIS had returned him to a mortal state...meaning he would die. Now death was so near he didn't want it to happen.

Yes, he wanted to be allowed to rest but what about the team? What about Ianto; the man that loved him and needed him so much? What about Gwen; the woman who trusted him so much and that had shown him a new way of living. What about Tosh; the genius that did her job so well and had been there to listen when he needed to be heard? What about Owen; the doctor who hid so much behind a brave front even when he was falling apart behind it and in whom Jack saw a lot of himself? What about Torchwood...

But it was too late. It was over. His eyes were drooping despite his desperate efforts to stay awake. This was the end... It was over.

Ianto sat clutching Jack's limp body to his chest and let the tears come. Jack never lied to him and if Jack thought he wouldn't be able to come back to life... He didn't even want to think about it.

"Jack..." Gwen whimpered, dropping to her knees beside the Captain. He had to come back! Jack couldn't die... He'd told her that after Suzie had killed him. He'd be back... She just had to wait.

Owen was distraught. He didn't say anything; he'd been the one to shoot Jack. It had been him that had taken the life from his boss. He tried to remind himself that it had been the only option but he felt himself crumbling. He was a killer. It wasn't the first time he'd killed Jack but Jack had done this to give Owen his life back...

They all knew that it was just a waiting game from now. The team and the Doctor felt their hearts in their throats as they waited...and waited...and waited...and waited.


	9. Alive And Well

**Author's Note: I am so sorry about how long it took to update this! If you could see my Homework Planner then you might be able to understand why I've been up till one in the morning some nights doing homework because there just isn't enough hours in a day. Anyway, here you go. This is the penultimate chapter. Enjoy. **

The tension in the air was hard for everyone to bear. The silence in the room was so thick with apprehension that they all felt their breathing come shallower and more fearful.

"I think…" the Doctor whispered before being cut off by Gwen.

"He'll be back," she insisted. Nobody dared to contradict her because they all hoped and prayed that she was right. Ianto sat rocking Jack's body in his arms with tears coursing down his cheeks. He shut his eyes and opened them again, wishing he could wake from this nightmare. He couldn't lose Jack…

Suddenly, the Captain gave a small, spluttering gasp and cast around wildly. He tried to stand but Ianto held him tight.

"Jack!" he cried in relief and surprise, tears still flowing.

"Yan…?" Jack mumbled, shocked. He struggled to remember what had happened and then as soon as he did, shuddered at the memory.

"I'm here," Ianto whispered gently.

"Oh God…" His body was aching and he was struggling to think. Every cell in his body seemed to be burning slightly. He shut his eyes again and waited a few moments for the feeling to subside.

Owen knelt by the Captain's side and watched him carefully. "Jack? Jack can you hear me?" he asked urgently, slipping subconsciously into his doctor's routine.

Jack smiled. "I hear you," he whispered, "You're still with us then…?"

"Alive and well," Owen replied happily.

"Alive?"

"Very much so," the young doctor laughed.

* * *

Much later on Jack was in his office with the Doctor. He was sitting behind the desk looking more uncomfortable than usual. The Doctor was giving him a lecture he didn't really want to hear.

"- And you could have died! Jack, nobody can predict what happens with the TARDIS! You're very lucky that you and your team survived that! You could have killed everyone! Rose managed to turn a whole army of Daleks to dust using the heart of the TARDIS!"

"I know but -."

"Promise me, Jack, you're not going to do that again!" the Doctor implored.

"Hopefully I won't need to do that again," Jack retorted hotly. He wasn't really in the mood for this. He had his reasons for his actions and what was done was done. The Doctor gave him a look that only too clearly showed he was thinking about Jack's inability to remain dead. He was going to lose people he loved over and over again. The Captain looked away. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry," he admitted. "But I did what I had to do. Owen needed me and I had to be there for him."

"I understand that but -."

"There's nothing more to it," Jack said firmly. They stayed in silence for a moment before the Doctor spoke.

"Well, I'll be off then."

"You don't want to hang around?" Jack asked, slightly hopeful.

"Things to do," the Doctor shrugged with a small smile. "You know me. But if you want to come…"

"No," Jack said firmly, really meaning every word. "I can't abandon my team. This is where I belong, Doctor, and I'm going to stay here."

* * *

"Jack?" Owen said in an out of character timidity, appearing in Jack's office after the Doctor had left.

"Yeah?" Jack said, looking up from the desk. He hadn't been doing anything, just sitting and thinking.

"I…I just wanted to say…" Owen said slowly, "To say thank you."

Jack smiled, stood up and walked around the desk to take the young doctor in his arms. He hugged him tightly. It was awkward for a moment before Owen relaxed and let Jack hold him.

"I'm glad to have you back," Jack said, pulling back slightly. "Properly back," he added as he saw the other man open his mouth to say something.

There was silence then. Neither party had anything in particular to say to each other. The silence did, however, ring with the unspoken relationship between the two men. There was a great deal of respect on both parts. Owen didn't know the half of Jack's story but he still trusted him. Yes, it was sometimes hard to listen to a man who wouldn't talk of himself in anything other than cryptic messages but he knew Jack would always be there for him. Jack on the other hand relied greatly on Owen's expertise; without him Torchwood would surely fall apart. Owen was brave and he could cope with things millions of others would lose their minds at.

"Why'd you do this for me Jack?" Owen asked gently. "You didn't have to. You hurt yourself to give me a better life."

Jack looked at Owen for a moment with some mixed emotion.

"That's exactly why," Jack said quietly. "To give you a better life."

"But -."

"If you want the truth Owen, it was because -," Jack broke off suddenly and tried to form the words. "Because I was sorry. I know all I needed was the information you had but…but there's more to it than that. I wasn't ready to let you go."

Owen felt the Captain's grip tighten on him as he spoke. There was a small voice in the younger man's head nagging that it was right that Jack should be sorry – all of this had been his fault after all. That blasted Resurrection Gauntlet. However a larger part of Owen reached out to Jack and understood why he'd done it. When Diane had left he himself had had incredible difficulty in accepting she was gone.

"Well… I forgive you," Owen said with a small smile. Jack smiled back; a true smile, not a forced smile designed to convince the team he was okay when he wasn't.

"Glad to hear it," Jack grinned before his face turned more serious again. "I love you Owen -," he began but paused as Owen raised his eyebrows in shock, "Not in that way," he explained.

"Really?" Owen asked with an incredulous smirk. "Now why do I find that hard to believe?"

Jack sighed and carried on, "You know what I mean. But I just… I just couldn't keep facing you day after day when you were so…" The Captain's voice tailed off again as he searched for a word to describe the hollow, depressed shadow of Doctor Owen Harper the other man had become.

"Broken?" Owen suggested. "That's what I was."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "And to keep thinking it was my fault… And then I remembered why I was still here."

"Thanks Jack," Owen said gratefully and he really meant it. "Just one question…"

"What?"

"I died and I came back," Owen said. "Does that mean… Does that mean I'm like you?" He watched his boss closely for his reaction. Jack thought over the question for a moment before carefully forming his answer.

"I don't know for sure," Jack said hesitantly. "Maybe, maybe not. But the thing is, the heart of the TARDIS is so unpredictable that we can't say what will happen."

"Oh…" Owen said. "Well. We'll just have to wait and see then."

* * *


	10. You'll Be Back

**Author's Note: This is it! The final chapter! I'm making the most of my weekend to catch up with my stories! I want them all to be finished by Christmas at the latest because I'll need that holiday to revise for my Prelim Exams in January. I will still keep writing but it was definitely be on a one story at a time basis rather than what's going right now; four. So, thank you all for reading, reviewing, adding to favourites and adding to alerts! Even those of you who are reading this without doing any of those things are making up numbers on my Reader Traffic thing, which is kinda cool! Thank you to everyone again! It means so much to me to hear people say nice things when I'm in the middle of a ridiculous amount of homework that I am failing to understand! I loved writing this fic and I hope you enjoy reading it!  
****  
****And a big thank you to ZebraBlonde for beta-reading from start to finish! You did a great job and I'm so grateful!**

* * *

This was the end… The end of Torchwood. It had to be. Ianto was struggling to keep breathing; everything was slipping away from him. He could feel the pressure of the collapsed beam crushing his chest. He thought tearfully of Jack and the others. Jack would survive but the rest of them were sure to die… It was just their time to go. He was scared but he had to fight off the fear because there was nothing he could do about it. There was nobody there to hold his hand now. He was alone.

Suddenly someone _did _take his hand. He opened his eyes slowly but everything was foggy.

"It'll be okay…" came a voice he recognised from some distant past. "You'll be back."  
Ianto couldn't decide if this was a good thing or not. Did he really want to return to this world? He dimly noticed the person moving the beam from his chest. As that happened he felt everything crash down around him and darkness took him. The last thing he heard was "I'm so sorry."

* * *

Gwen was horribly aware of the blood escaping from the side of her head. She felt dizzy and confused and all her thoughts were disjoined and muddled. She could only vaguely remember what had just happened. The fighting…Tosh being stabbed… Then the bomb had gone off. This was it; they were all going to die. At least there would be no survivors to mourn the loss of their colleagues… Except perhaps Jack. She found herself subconsciously wishing for him to die with them; then she wouldn't be alone…

"Gwen…" came a soft voice. She felt someone take her hand and take her in their arms. She didn't open her eyes because she was too tired.

"Hmm…" she mumbled, struggling with even that small syllable.

"You're not going to die forever. Jack made sure of that…" said the voice as she felt her mind shutting down.

"Jack…" was the last word she spoke before she didn't feel anything anymore.

* * *

Not again. Not again, please not again. Owen didn't want to die again. He was sure it would be permanent this time and he didn't want to go back to the darkness he'd seen before. There was nothing he could do to help himself and he felt pathetic. He _had _to keep fighting…but he was _so _tired…

"Listen to me Owen," said a man's voice from beside him. He recognised it from somewhere but he couldn't quiet place it.

"Don't…let…me…die…" Owen stuttered, terrified. The man put a hand on his cheek and the small touch was comfort. He suddenly felt less alone.

"I promise you it won't be forever," the voice said gently.

"What…?"

"Remember when Jack absorbed the heart of the TARDIS to help you all those years ago?"

"Uh huh…" Owen mumbled, clutching feebly at life in his mind.

"Well…that's when everything changed –," the voice began to explain but then everything ended.

* * *

Noises were blurring into one and the edges of her world were turning black.

Tosh whimpered in pain and tried not to think about what had happened. She didn't want her dying thoughts to be terrified fears of what was to come. She didn't want to die but had accepted her fate because there was nothing she could do to stop it. She tried to think about the dead relatives that would be there waiting for her; ignoring the stories of what death was like that she'd heard from Torchwood.

"Toshiko…it's not the end," came a voice she knew from beside her. She felt a small pressure applied to the stab wound in her stomach and she fought the urge to throw up; she was going to at least die with dignity if she had to die.

"It is…" she breathed.

"No. Jack stopped that years ago."

"How…?"

"By loving you."

* * *

The Doctor looked back at the team he'd dug out from the rubble and sighed. They were dead for now but, like Jack Harkness, they would return to life over and over. He'd known that for a long time but had never told anyone else until it was time for them to know; now.

He found Jack thrown to the ground outside and had explained the situation to him.

"Jack…they're not going to die," the Doctor had urged as Jack had blamed himself for leading them to their deaths.

"But…"

"Listen to me Jack. Remember what happened all those years ago with the heart of the TARDIS?"

"Yeah…" Jack nodded slowly, pain in his eyes as the gunshot wound throbbed painfully.

"Well. You were scared. Alone," the Doctor explained, "The TARDIS latched onto that and tried to stop your pain…and made your friends like you…"

Jack's eyes widened. How could that be true? It made some sort of sense but guilt hit him that he was the reason Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones would live forever and never be able to get the rest of death. Moaning slightly as he felt the life leak away from him, Jack realised that – once again – impossible isn't a limitation.


End file.
